GCYFRG are delighted to announce a grant writing workshop to be held on Thursday 10th January 2019 at Lancaster University. The day-long workshop will bring together researchers with a variety of experience applying for grants big and small, local and national in the fields of children, youth and families. Participants will get involved in knowledge and idea sharing, and hopefully take away ideas about new sources of funding and gain top tips for writing successful grant applications. The day will also include a ‘research speed dating’ session where you can share your ideas for future projects, and perhaps find someone who’d like to collaborate. The event is open to all, with a particular focus on the needs of early career geographers. No prior experience of grant applications or capture is required.

As a research group, we are delighted to announce that we will be hosting our first writing retreat in July 2019.

The GCYFRG has organised a writing retreat for the summer of 2019. This retreat is open to all members of the research group at all career stages and aims to provide a friendly environment for academic writing on the geographies of children, youth and families.

The retreat will be limited to 16 attendees and places are on a first come, first served basis. We hope to cover the costs of four PhD students (further details below). Whether you are working on chapter drafts of your PhD, your first or thirty-first paper, or a grant, big or small, we welcome participants from all career stages for a week of dedicated writing and thinking space in a supportive community.

The AGM of the Geographies of Children, Youth & Families Research Group (GCYFRG) of the RGS-IBG will be at the Annual Conference in Cardiff on Thursday 30th August at 13.10-14.25. All are welcome! Please do get in touch if you would like to attend our AGM but are not a registered conference delegate, as some guest passes can be issued for those wishing to attend.

Ahead of our AGM, we now have an open invitation for the election of two named committee roles – Chair and Education Officer – as the current post holders complete their terms. These positions are both three-year appointments in the first instance, with the possibility of standing for a further three years at the end of that term. Short role descriptions are below to advise potential candidates, but both current post holders (Sarah Mills – Chair S.Mills@lboro.ac.uk ; John McKendrick – Education Officer J.McKendrick@gcu.ac.uk) are happy to receive questions or informally discuss the roles. Please note, for the position of Chair, nominees must be Fellows of the RGS-IBG and further details are available on the website re: membership.

The newsletter features an interview with our chair Dr Sarah Mills, workshop and recent events reports and some hints and tips for those of us who struggle sometimes with writing. You can download the newsletter here: Newsletter Issue 1/2018

Bring a group of Geographers and Educationalists together to talk about pedagogy on a chilly Wednesday morning in early January, and one might not expect rousing enthusiasm. And yet, the energies and ideas that coalesced at this teaching workshop on 10th January surpassed possibly even organiser John McKendrick’s expectations! This RGS-IBG sponsored workshop welcomed academic (teaching) staff, early career researchers and postgraduates – both within the field and beyond – to a day-long event encompassing various presentations, discussions, Q&A; and, happily, a field trip. Continue reading →